Dark Mofo faces fury over ‘First Nations blood’ art work

OSTN Staff

The work, Union Flag, by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra, invited First Nations peoples from countries and territories colonised by the British Empire, who live in Australia, to donate blood for the project.Dark Mofo, an arts festival, is staged in Hobart in June.Sierra said: “The project consists of immersing the British flag in the blood of people from territories colonised by the British Empire.“We seek applications from across Australia with blood drawn from single participants selected to represent each territory or country. The blood will be combined in an aluminium bucket in which the British flag will be immersed.”But on Monday, the festival’s Instagram page, and a “We Want Your Blood” post was swamped by outrage, with most of the 2800 comments complaining about Union Flag.Kira Puru, and Australian musician with Maori bloodlines, said: “White people further capitalising on the literal blood of First Nations people. Are you f—ing kidding?“We are asking the white creative directors of Mofo, who have commissioned a white coloniser to soak a flag in the blood of First Nations folk, to understand why this is completely inappropriate and deeply upsetting.” She added: “What a way to reveal that there are no First Nations folks in your curatorial/consulting teams. I’m genuinely surprised no one flagged any of this on the way thru. I really thought this particular festival would be better than that.”Indigenous rap star Adam Briggs also posted: “We already gave enough blood.”Dark Mofo announced plans to stage Sierra’s art work on Saturday. In an open letter, Sierra said: “The use of the British flag is not about any specific people, but rather seeks to reflect on the material on which states and empires are built.“The First Nations people of Australia suffered enormously and brutally from British colonialism. Nowhere more so than in Tasmania where the Black War in the early 19th century had a devastating impact, almost killing the entire Tasmanian Aboriginal population — an act that has since been defined as genocide.“The intent of this project is against colonialism,” Sierra said. “It is an acknowledgment of the pain and destruction colonialism has caused First Nations peoples, devastating entire cultures and civilisations. Colonisation by the British Empire is only one example of plundering and conquest, albeit one of the most forceful, both for its geographic reach and for the genocidal methods applied.”Dark Mofo creative director, Leigh Carmichael, said: “We’re pleased to announce the inclusion of Santiago Sierra’s Union Flag in this year’s festival.“It’s a logistically difficult project and we are working diligently to ensure we are able to realise the work for the upcoming festival. This call out to First Nations peoples from countries claimed by the British Empire at some point in history to participate is the first public phase of the project.“We hope to receive interest from as many people across Australia as possible.”Dark Mofo runs from June 16 to 22, with a full program to be announced next month.nui.tekoha@news.com.au

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